


a pretty good team

by nevermindthewind



Series: as long as there are stars above you [1]
Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: AU where the fire doesn't happen, Emetophobia trigger, F/M, I told you guys I'm not over it, Pregnancy, pregnancy reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 22:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10863528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevermindthewind/pseuds/nevermindthewind
Summary: Among the texts from Wes, Michaela, and Annalise was a notification from her period tracker congratulating her on finishing this month’s period.The period that, Laurel now realized, never came.





	a pretty good team

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically the start of my AU where there is no fire and Wes and Laurel get to actually be happy because I am a sucker for a happy ending and do not appreciate Pete Nowalk taking that chance away from me.

_ 6 weeks 3 days _

 

Laurel woke with a start.  She’d been having another weird dream, but of course it was forgotten the moment she woke up.  Next to her Wes snored softly, causing Laurel to smile to herself. They’d been dating officially for almost two months but sometimes she still had trouble believing that this was all real.  Not that she was complaining.  She rolled over to check her phone, wondering if there was time to fall back asleep before having to be up for class at 8:00, but before Laurel could even register the early hour her stomach lurched dangerously.  “Oh god,” she whispered, holding her hand to her mouth.  

 

She tried to be as quiet as possible as she ran to her bathroom, but it wasn’t enough to keep Wes from waking up. “What’s going on?” Wes said groggily, rubbing his eyes. He looked over to her side of the bed and, upon seeing it unoccupied, looked around the room in a sleepy, confused haze until he saw the light coming from under the bathroom door.  

 

“Wes go back to sleep, I’m fine,” Laurel called, though the weakness in her voice said otherwise.  Unconvinced, Wes got out of bed, padded across the room, and knocked on the door.

 

“Laurel?” he said gently.  “Can I come in?” Laurel didn’t respond.  Taking this as the closest thing he’d get to a yes, Wes opened the door just in time to see Laurel’s dinner make a reappearance.  “Oh babe,” Wes said softly, rushing to Laurel’s side.  Laurel tried to wave him away, tried to tell him to save himself, but it was a lost cause. “Nice try, Castillo, but I’m staying put,” Wes said, rubbing her back.  Laurel groaned but didn’t argue.  

 

\--

 

Three hours and many choice curse words later, Laurel sat back against the bathroom wall, relishing the cool tile against her back.  The worst, it seemed, was behind her.  However the more her body seemed to relax, the more mortified Laurel felt that her boyfriend just witnessed, well,  _ that _ .

 

“You need water,” Wes said matter-of-factly, standing up and moving towards the sink.  

 

Laurel looked up. “You mean you’re not gonna dump my ass?” she asked, only partially kidding. Wes just laughed as he filled a glass.  

 

“Nah, but I will accept payment in the form of backrubs. Or your wills and trust outline,” Wes said as he handed her the cup, smiling.  Laurel took the water as Wes sat down beside her.  She leaned into him, exhausted.  They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Laurel taking a few sips of water and trying to not think about how gross she felt.

 

“Better?” Wes asked after a while.

 

“Yeah,” Laurel said.  She looked up at Wes who was already looking at her, his eyebrows furrowed with concerned. “Although I really wish you hadn’t seen that,” she said. “I feel disgusting.”

 

Wes reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind Laurel’s ear, his hand lingering on her face. “Well you’ve definitely looked better,” he smirked. Laurel shoved him, albeit playfully. “Seriously, don’t even worry about it,” Wes continued. “I’m glad I was here. And now we know to never order sesame chicken from Tung Sing ever again”. At the mention of food Laurel turned green. Wes winced. “Sorry, sorry! Oh shit. Laurel, I’m so sorry,” he blundered, as Laurel just shook her head, taking several deep breaths. After a minute the nausea passed and she opened her eyes to see Wes looking like a puppy with its tail between its legs. 

 

“I’m good,” she said, laughing when she saw how concerned Wes was. “But let’s go back to bed before we jinx it, huh? We have to get up in less than three hours.” Laurel began to get up, but stopped when Wes didn’t follow. “What?”

 

“Babe, you can’t go to class,” Wes said. Laurel opened her mouth, apparently about to argue. Wes tried again. “Ok, obviously I can’t tell you what to do. But I really think you should stay home and rest. I’ll go to wills and trusts and Michaela can cover you in Pearson’s class so you don’t get behind.  Give yourself a day to get better,” he added, softly kissing Laurel’s forehead.  Normally Laurel would’ve put up more of a fight, but she was too exhausted, so she just nodded.  

 

One day off wouldn’t hurt, she thought to herself as Wes helped her off the bathroom floor and led her back into the bedroom.  She crawled back into bed and snuggled up to Wes’ side, being sick making her more affectionate than usual. The second her head hit the pillow, Laurel was asleep.

 

\--

 

When Laurel woke up, Wes was gone.  She sat up, having briefly forgotten that she wasn’t going to class.  As soon as she moved she remembered why, as a wave of nausea hit her.  Laurel slumped back into her pillow, hoping it would pass.  Eventually it subsided, and she picked up her phone to check her notifications.  Among the texts from Wes, Michaela, and Annelise was a notification from her period tracker congratulating her on finishing this month’s period. The period that, Laurel now realized, never came.  

 

Shit. Shit shit shit shitshitshitshitshit.

 

Everything suddenly made sense.  Why she’d been so tired.  Why none of her bras seemed to fit right.  And why she’d bought grapefruit on her last trip to the grocery store, even though she  _ hated _ grapefruit.  

 

There was no way she could just lay here.  She wouldn’t be able to rest at all until she knew for sure. Laurel threw off her blankets and got out of bed, trying to ignore the pangs of nausea as she changed out of her pyjamas and into leggings and a sweater.

 

\--

 

One trip to Walgreens and what felt like one hundred judgemental stares later, Laurel was back in her bathroom.  A completely different type of nausea hit her as she opened the little pink box, her hands shaking.  She read the instructions, and, after some slightly awkward maneuvers, she managed to pee on the stick without getting any on herself. She set the test on the counter, set a timer, and spent the next three minutes sitting on the toilet trying to wrap her mind around the events of the past 12 hours.

 

She’d had a scare once before, when she was 19 and her idiot ex decided not to use a condom.  Since then she’d been ultra careful, and Wes had respected that.  Even after that morning in the bathtub, when the condom ripped he offered to go pick up Plan B before Laurel even has d a chance to freak out.  But Laurel’s stubbornness took over, and she kept saying she was fine, she’d just ended her period, it wasn’t a big deal. 

 

Now she was 24 and kicking herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t like kids.  She loved her brother’s kids, and her cousins.  However the idea of growing an actual human, of waddling around with a giant belly, inflated boobs and feet, only have to push said human out of her body, yeah that wasn’t something she’d ever wanted.  No, her entire adult life the only thing Laurel truly wanted was to get out of Florida, to get away from her crazy family, and make a name for herself that she could be proud of.  She was going to become an attorney.  She was going to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.  She was going to make a difference.  A baby was nowhere near a part of that plan.  But, to be fair, neither was Wes.  She had never dreamed someone like him would come along and shake everything up.  If she was going to have a baby with anyone, it’d be him.  He was the only person in her life who was truly good, who had ever genuinely cared for and about her.  But could they do it? Could they raise a baby AND go to law school AND work for Annelise? 

 

But just as Laurel began to even attempt to weigh her options, the timer buzzed, making her jump.  She turned it off and stared at the test on the counter, suddenly unable to move, unable to breathe.  After what felt like years she finally got up the courage to reach out her hand and look at the test.

 

Two lines.

 

Even though Laurel had seen this coming since the moment she got that silly little notification, her heart still sank.  She was  _ pregnant. _

 

With a  _ baby _ .  

 

_ Wes’ baby. _

 

\--

 

She was still there, sitting on the toilet and staring at the test, when Wes got home about a half hour later.

 

“Laurel?” he called as he opened her bedroom door. 

 

“In here,” she answered. Wes set down his messenger bag and the bag of groceries he’d picked up, giving Laurel roughly 30 seconds to try and figure out the best way to drop this bombshell.  She stood up and made to meet Wes in the bedroom, figuring the bathroom had probably been the sight of enough events for one day.  Laurel slipped the pregnancy test up her sleeve and opened the door, only to come face to face with Wes on the other side of the door. They both jumped. 

 

“How you feeling?” Wes asked, kissing her on the forehead. 

 

“Better,” Laurel responded, her eyes closed as Wes’ cool lips touched her forehead.  She smiled softly at the greeting, then looked up.  Upon seeing the worry in Laurel’s eyes, Wes’ face went from relaxed to concerned.

 

“You ok?” he asked.

 

“Yeah, but I, uh, I have to tell you something,” Laurel said slowly, taking Wes’ hand and leading him back towards the bed.  She sat down cross-legged and patted the spot across from her, which Wes promptly occupied.  Taking a deep breath, Laurel at Wes and said, “I don’t think I have food poisoning.  Actually, I know I don’t.”

 

“What do you mean?” Wes said, his eyebrows furrowing. Laurel looked down and started playing with Wes’ hand, unable to figure out how to say the thing that would change their relationship and their lives forever. “Babe are you sure you’re ok?” Laurel nodded, unable to look Wes in the eye. Finally she spoke.

 

“Remember that morning in the bathtub?” she asked quietly.

 

“Yeah, but what does that-” Wes stopped, causing Laurel’s eyes to look up. She raised her eyebrows. Suddenly they both spoke at the same time.

 

“Laurel what are you saying?”

 

“I’m pregnant.” 

 

Laurel looked at Wes, trying to read the expression on his face, but for the first time in a long time, she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. “Earth to Wes?” she asked after a minute, squeezing his hand.

 

“Are you sure?” Wes asked. Laurel pulled out the pregnancy test from her other sleeve and showed it to him.

 

“Two lines,” she said as confirmation.  “I went and picked it up this morning after I realized I’d missed my period.” Wes took the stick from her and stared at it.

 

“You’re pregnant,” he repeated, more to himself than to Laurel.  After a couple seconds he looked up again.  “How are you?” he asked.

 

“Fine,” she answered automatically.  

 

“Laurel,” Wes said, furrowing his eyebrows.  He didn’t buy her act for one second.  

 

Laurel sighed, starting to unload the stress she’d built up since peeing on that stupid stick.  “Ok, I’m freaking out. I mean a baby?! I can barely take care of myself let alone a  _ baby _ !”

 

“Well you wouldn’t have to take care of it by yourself, you know,” Wes interjected quietly.  He set the test on the nightstand and took one of Laurel’s hands into his own.  “I’ll be here too,” he paused, his gaze moving from Laurel’s hands so he could look her straight in the eye. “Whatever you decide, I’m here.”  

 

Tears sprang to Laurel’s eyes, taking her by surprise.  She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Wes’ chest.  For a while they just sat there, Wes rubbing Laurel’s back, both lost in their own thoughts.  Finally Laurel spoke again.  “What should we do?” she asked, pulling herself back up to a sitting position. Wes was quiet for a minute, trying to find the words for what he wanted to say. 

 

“If you, you know, if you want to get an abortion, I’ll support you one hundred percent,” he started. “But, for what it’s worth, I think we could do it. I mean it would be hard, yeah, but…” Wes ran his hand through his hair, “I don’t know. I just see the way you care for people, especially the people you really care about, and I think you’d be amazing, and well, you and me, we make a pretty good team already.  But I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.  So, really what I’m trying to say is, no matter what, I will be here for you. And the baby, if that’s what we decide,” Wes had been looking down at their hands, still intertwined, but after he finished his eyes made their way up to see Laurel smiling softly, her eyes once again tearing up.

 

“I think we could do it, too,” she said. And as scary as it was, she meant it. 


End file.
